UK Department for International Development

The Department for International Development (DFID) "is the part of the UK Government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty.

"We are headed by a Cabinet minister, one of the senior ministers in the Government. This reflects how important the Government sees reducing poverty around the world. We have two headquarters (in London and East Kilbride, near Glasgow) and 64 offices overseas. We also have over 2500 staff, almost half of whom work abroad."

"When the Department for International Development (DFID) was set up in 1997, it made fighting world poverty its top priority. This marked a turning point for Britain’s aid programme, which until then had mainly involved economic development.

"In its manifesto the government elected in May 1997 pledged to create a new department for international development headed by a cabinet minister. Previously the aid programme was managed by the Overseas Development Administration (ODA), a wing of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office."

People
"DFID is represented in Cabinet by the Secretary of State for International Development (Douglas Alexander MP), and in the House of Commons by three Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State (Gareth Thomas MP), (Gillian Merron MP) and (Shahid Malik MP).

"The senior civil servant in DFID is the Permanent Secretary (Nemat (Minouche) Shafik), assisted on DFID's Management Board by three Directors-General and two Non-Executive Directors."

Ministers
Accessed July 2010:

Department of Technical Co-operation
Secretary (ranks as Minister of State):
 * Rt Hon Dennis Vosper (June 1961-May 1963); Rt Hon Robert Carr (May 1963-Oct 1964)

Ministry of Overseas Development
Minister of Overseas Development:
 * Rt Hon Barbara Castle (Oct 1964-Dec 1965); Rt Hon Anthony Greenwood (Dec 1965-Aug 1966); Rt Hon Arthur Bottomley (Aug 1966-Aug 1967); Rt Hon Reg Prentice (Aug 1967-Oct 1969); Rt Hon Judith Hart (Oct 1969-June 1970); Rt Hon Richard Wood (June-Nov 1970)

[From 1964-67, the Minister sat in the Cabinet (Barbara Castle (1964-65); Anthony Greenwood (1965-66); Arthur Bottomley (1966-67).]

Overseas Development Administration
Minister for Overseas Development:
 * Rt Hon Richard Wood (Nov 1970-Mar 1974)

Ministry of Overseas Development
Minister of Overseas Development:
 * Rt Hon Judith Hart (March 1974-June 1975)

Minister for Overseas Development:
 * Rt Hon Reg Prentice (June 1975-Dec 1976); Frank Judd (Dec 1976-Feb 1977); Rt Hon Judith Hart (Feb 1977-May 1979)

Overseas Development Administration
Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Minister for Overseas Development:
 * Rt Hon Neil Marten (May 1979-Jan 1983); Rt Hon Timothy Raison (Jan 1983-Sept 1986); Rt Hon Christopher Patten (Sept 1986-July 1989); Rt Hon Lynda Chalker (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey from April 1992) (July 1989-May 1997)

Department for International Development
Secretary of State for International Development (Cabinet rank):
 * Rt Hon Clare Short (May 1997-May 2003)
 * Baroness Amos (May 2003-October 2003)
 * Hilary Benn (October 2003-June 2007)
 * Douglas Alexander (June 2007-May 2010)
 * Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell (May 2010 - present).

Minister of State for International Development:
 * Hilary Benn]] (May 2003 - October 2003)
 * Gareth R. Thomas (October 2008 – May 2010)
 * Alan Duncan (May 2010 - present)

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development:
 * George Foulkes (May 1997-Jan 2001)
 * Chris Mullin (Jan-June 2001)
 * Hilary Benn (June 2001-May 2002)
 * Sally Keeble (May 2002-June 2003)
 * Baroness Vadera (June 2007- January 2008)
 * Gareth R. Thomas (June 2003-October 2008)
 * Shahid Malik (June 2007-October 2008)
 * Gillian Merron (January 2008-October 2008)
 * Ivan Lewis (October 2008-June 2009)
 * Mike Foster (October 2008-May 2010)
 * Stephen O'Brien (May 2010 - present).

Contact

 * Web: http://www.dfid.gov.uk

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Nicola Brewer
 * Myles Wickstead